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Friday, June 11, 2010

Yellowstone 2010

We've been back from Yellowstone for almost a week and I am just now getting this post finished. Man, is it hard to get back into the swing of your life after a great vacation! I found myself wishing several times in the last 6 days that I could just go back to Yellowstone. We had such a great time...

We stayed in a cabin at The Pines resort in Island Park, Idaho. I absolutely recommend them to anyone planning a trip out that way. The cabin was beautifully decorated and came complete with your basic kitchen tools, pots, etc., down comforters on the beds (nice), personal hot tub and very nice gas grill, and, most important if you have kids with you, a personal washer and dryer. The weather was less nice (read cold, rain, hail, snow, wind), but we managed to have a lot of fun, anyway.

Even in the wilderness, little girls need their Polly Pockets.

Waffles for breakfast....and the swan, purchased at the Grizzly and Wolf Preserve, that went everywhere with us.

S'mores on the porch at 10 p.m. What else is vacation about?

After watching Old Faithful erupt we ate dinner at the restaurant at The Snow Lodge.

Forgive the picture--I was working with a new (and crappy) camera and very yellow light in the restaurant. It tasted delicious, though: Bison Short Ribs braised in Moose Drool Ale, Mashed Potatoes, and Garlic Green Beans. The kitchen messed up my original order (seared tuna with soba noodles--I know, what was I thinking?), and I ordered this as a replacement. I've never been so happy to have the cook ruin my food. The bison was fork tender and so, so flavorful. I ate it all...every single bite. Yum.

We fished....

Of course, Ginny's idea of fishing is throwing rocks in the water.

We saw amazing things like this waterfall. I've never been so close to one of these marvels--the sound was awesome!

Another view of the amazing waterfall. This canyon is considered the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

There were lots and lots of stairs....

And beautiful things that made the stairs worthwhile. (Mammoth Hot Springs)

We lunched....

We saw more waterfalls while keeping Ginny from going over the edge...

I saw my first real-life beaver! He was so cute! (Fishing Bridge)

This wolf was at the Grizzly and Wolf Preserve in West Yellowstone. Being so close to them was incredible. They are just beautiful animals.

Of all the animals we saw on our trip, the bison calves were my absolute, number one favorite. They are the cutest animals on the face of the planet! Love, love, love!!

As we drove out of the park on our last day we came up on a huge cluster of cars stopped and pulled haphazardly to the side of the road. In Yellowstone, this is usually a sign that there is something good to see. We slowed down to see what it was and saw this mother bear and her cub. Amazing! (My husband zoomed in as far a he could--the pair were pretty far away.)

There are some incredible smells in Yellowstone...

Smells that weren't appreciated by the younger people in our group. (Dragon's Mouth Spring)

This picture is at the Paint Pots. The minerals and heat from the bubbling geysers petrify the trees. I know they're dead, but isn't it a cool picture?